Voreia Ellada meaning Northern Greece, is a first level

First level NUTS of the European Union

The Nomenclature of Territorial Units for Statistics, , is a geocode standard for referencing the administrative divisions of countries for statistical purposes. The standard was developed by the European Union.There are three levels of NUTS defined, with two levels of local administrative units ...

 NUTS administrative division of Greece

Greece

Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....

 created for statistical purposes by the European Union

European Union

The European Union is an economic and political union of 27 independent member states which are located primarily in Europe. The EU traces its origins from the European Coal and Steel Community and the European Economic Community , formed by six countries in 1958...

.

Although this first level NUTS division

First level NUTS of the European Union

The Nomenclature of Territorial Units for Statistics, , is a geocode standard for referencing the administrative divisions of countries for statistical purposes. The standard was developed by the European Union.There are three levels of NUTS defined, with two levels of local administrative units ...

 is not used by Greece for any administrative reasons, the term is widely used by Greeks to refer mainly to the two northern regions of Greece: Macedonia

Macedonia (Greece)

Macedonia is a geographical and historical region of Greece in Southern Europe. Macedonia is the largest and second most populous Greek region...

 and Thrace

Western Thrace

Western Thrace or simply Thrace is a geographic and historical region of Greece, located between the Nestos and Evros rivers in the northeast of the country. Together with the regions of Macedonia and Epirus, it is often referred to informally as northern Greece...

; this term, though, may also colloquially incorporate Epirus

Epirus (region)

Epirus is a geographical and historical region in southeastern Europe, shared between Greece and Albania. It lies between the Pindus Mountains and the Ionian Sea, stretching from the Bay of Vlorë in the north to the Ambracian Gulf in the south...

 region, from Kentriki Ellada

Kentriki Ellada

Kentriki Ellada , meaning Central Greece, is a NUTS administrative division of Greece created for statistical purposes by the European Union. This first level NUTS division is not used by Greece for administrative reasons. Central Greece however is the name of both a geographical region and a...

 NUTS division as well as Thessaly

Thessaly

Thessaly is a traditional geographical region and an administrative region of Greece, comprising most of the ancient region of the same name. Before the Greek Dark Ages, Thessaly was known as Aeolia, and appears thus in Homer's Odyssey....

. In terms of language Northern Greece also refers to Central Greece

Central Greece

Continental Greece or Central Greece , colloquially known as Roúmeli , is a geographical region of Greece. Its territory is divided into the administrative regions of Central Greece, Attica, and part of West Greece...

, except Attica, and North Aegean

North Aegean

The North Aegean is one of the thirteen regions of Greece. It comprises the islands of the north-eastern Aegean Sea, except for Samothrace, which belongs to the region of East Macedonia and Thrace, and Imbros and Tenedos which belong to Turkey....

, except Chios

Chios

Chios is the fifth largest of the Greek islands, situated in the Aegean Sea, seven kilometres off the Asia Minor coast. The island is separated from Turkey by the Chios Strait. The island is noted for its strong merchant shipping community, its unique mastic gum and its medieval villages...

, as Northern Greek

Varieties of Modern Greek

The linguistic varieties of Modern Greek can be classified along two principal dimensions. First, there is a long tradition of sociolectal variation between the natural, popular spoken language on the one hand and archaizing, learned written forms on the other. Second, there is regional variation...

 dialect is traditionally spoken there, too.

The former Ministry of Macedonia and Thrace was known as Minister for Northern Greece until 1988. The NUTS division contains 4 regions; these are: East Macedonia and Thrace

East Macedonia and Thrace

East Macedonia and Thrace is one of the thirteen regions of Greece. It consists of the northeastern parts of the country, comprising the eastern part of the region of Macedonia along with the region of Thrace, and the islands of Thasos and Samothrace....

, Central Macedonia

Central Macedonia

Central Macedonia is one of the thirteen regions of Greece, consisting of the central part of the region of Macedonia. With a population of over 1.8 million, it is the second most populous in Greece after Attica.- Administration :...

, West Macedonia

West Macedonia

West Macedonia is one of the thirteen regions of Greece, consisting of the western part of Greek Macedonia. It is divided into the regional units of Florina, Grevena, Kastoria, and Kozani.-Geography:...

, Thessaly

Thessaly

Thessaly is a traditional geographical region and an administrative region of Greece, comprising most of the ancient region of the same name. Before the Greek Dark Ages, Thessaly was known as Aeolia, and appears thus in Homer's Odyssey....

.